Dec. 21, 1936 — July 14, 2024
Cynthia S. Zavatski, 88, of Ashland passed away after a brief illness on July 14 with her three loving children at her side.
Cynthia was born on Dec. 21, 1936, in Royal Oak Township, a suburb of Detroit. She was always proud of her Polish American heritage, and later in life she self-published a novel about her grandparents’ journey from Poland to America in the late 19th century.
Cynthia graduated from Waterford Township High School in 1954. She briefly attended the University of Michigan before striking out for New York City to realize her dream of becoming an actor.
After several years in New York City acting off Broadway, Cynthia eventually settled in Deerfield, New Hampshire, where she raised her three children and was considered a second mother to many others.
While raising her children, Cynthia also became a strong advocate and organizer for various social justice and civil rights causes through the 1960s and 1970s. Cynthia was proud to have marched in Washington with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., to have demonstrated against the Vietnam War, and to have participated in the nationwide college student protests in 1970 after the Kent State shooting and the escalation of the Vietnam War.
Cynthia relocated to Ashland in 1990 to join her daughter. There she built a rich community and social life in and around the Catholic Church, union organizing and among her many friends in Ashland. Cynthia was actively involved with Ashland’s Interfaith Care Community, which provided food, services and shelter to the unhoused community.
Well into her 60s, she was still working tirelessly to help organize farmworkers with Unete in Oregon’s Rogue Valley, and in her 70s, she traveled to Seattle to participate in the World Trade Organization demonstrations. She also worked as a volunteer at Peace House to support its mission to create social change for peace, equality and justice locally, nationally and internationally.
A woman of varied artistic tastes, Cynthia loved Elvis, Janis Joplin, Chopin, and Paderewski, and especially enjoyed shows at Ashland’s Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Cynthia is survived by her three children and two grandchildren: son Thaddeus (Ted) Randall and his wife, Shirl, of Miami, Florida; son Chet Randall and his wife, Joan Fortin, and their children, Michael and Lainey Randall of Portland, Maine; and daughter Katrazyna Randall of Temple, Maine. Cynthia was predeceased by her parents, Thaddeus Przylubski Palmer and Virginia (Carroll) Palmer.
A private memorial service will be scheduled by the family at a future date. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in memory of Cynthia are invited to donate to one of the many organizations that Cynthia supported throughout her life, including: Unete Center for Farm Worker Advocacy; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; and World Wildlife Fund.
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